Items

• 
  2020-05-04

  Urges

  A comic strip about Covid-19
• 
  2020-05-04

  An Empty Street of Times Square

  This photo was taken in Times Square during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. As someone who lives near the always bustling square, it broke my heart to see it so depressing and empty. This pandemic has prompted the question of whether city life will be able to survive Covid-19. Seeing the city so lifeless made me realize how reliant on tourism New York City is. All of the iconic activities that New York is known for, going to restaurants, museums, broadway shows, all had been canceled. However, despite the difficulties, the city maintained a positive attitude, with motivational messages to frontline workers and medical professionals displayed throughout Times Square.
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  2020-05-04

  Amateur Art During the Pandemic

  This is a sculpture of a seahorse hanging onto a piece of seaweed. The base is newspaper, toilet paper tubes, masking tape, and paper mâché. The seahorse is painted gray and the seagrass is painted green. Each element is covered in soda tabs, and the ones on the sea grass are spray painted green. The whole thing is attached with nails to a branch I found in the woods of my backyard. This paper mâché seahorse was a project for my sculpture class senior year. I remember the base of the seahorse was due on Friday March 13th. That morning, my mom told me to bring everything home in case we went virtual and weren’t allowed back in the school. So I lugged the whole thing back home that weekend, and sure enough my mom was right. Most of my classes didn’t do very much for the rest of the year, since we were seniors and AP tests were the only thing we had to worry about. However, my art teacher did not take this approach. She continued to hold weekly meetings to check in on our progress for this sculpture. She had us come by the school to pick up supplies to finish it, and it ended up being really good for me. I wasn’t too happy about this at first, since I was only taking the class for fun and it ended up being a lot harder than I thought it would, but it quickly became the most enjoyable part of virtual school. I am the kind of person that needs direction and a schedule or else I will just waste the day, so the pandemic was hard for me once school went virtual and I didn’t have anything to do. I had an abundance of energy and nothing to spend it on. This project allowed me to complete something that required focus, and that also allowed me to take a break from the mundane days I was experiencing. I didn’t have time to sit there and think about all that I was losing and all that the world was losing, because I was working on this piece. It got to the point where I looked forward to doing this homework, and I was actually sad when I finished it.
• 
  2020-05-04

  Banner Children's offers coloring activity for kids' water safety

  A press release from Banner Health announcing that with more children at home and outdoor temperatures rising, Banner Children’s is encouraging families to remember the ABCs of water safety by creating a fun coloring activity for kids and providing information about drowning prevention.
• 
  2020-05-04

  New Mexico Invokes Riot Law to Control Virus Near Navajo Nation

  This article discusses the use of a rarely used Riot Law Act to help diminish the tension between the Navajo reservation and the small towns bordering the reservation in Gallup, New Mexico. The upsurge in cases on the reservation resulted in accusations that the Navajo brought the virus into Gallup and its suburbs. The tribe has fired back that Gallup citizens are refusing to follow social distancing mandates and as a result, Gallup has one of the highest case rates in the nation. This report relates to the JOTPY archive as it an example of the friction COVID-19 has created between the local government and tribal reservations.
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  2020-05-04

  Critique of Andrew Scheer, former Canadian Conservative Party leader

  Twitter user Bill Sullivan expresses his opinion that Scheer wanted to amplify the sufferings of Canadians during the pandemic.
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  2020-05-04

  Pregnant in a Pandemic

  This object is a webpage from the Mass General Hospital website. This is the Obstetrics and Gynecology page. It is an update for all their patients. The title of this article is “Mass General Remains Safe, Ready for Expectant Families During COVID-19". It was uploaded in May of 2020. I choose to read this because I am planning to deliver my baby in February at Mass General, which will be mostly likely still during this pandemic. This article highlights the precautions being taken during Pandemic for mothers delivering at Mass General.
• 
  2020-05-04

  Diamond Dog - HIST 393

  Covid really began changing my life when the news broke that I would not be returning to my college campus. I remained home from my spring break with my family in New England and lots changed, both positive and negative. The most positive change in my life since the pandemic began has been my new family member, a mini Australian shepherd named Penny Lane. Penny is my family’s first dog and has been a big part of how we stayed sane throughout the initial craziness of Covid. Having a puppy to unite my family was a huge help because we were all feeling divided and found ourselves crashing more than usual due to the extended time at home. We were all able to bond over the teamwork required to take care of a pet and the happiness that a happy puppy brings to a household. Penny has helped all of us deal with our specific anxieties as well. In my case, I found myself becoming more reclusive, and finding motivation to do school work was more and more difficult. Experiencing a dog being happy to see me when I walked back home helped my motivation tons and made me want to retreat less into my negative thoughts. Penny had been a silver lining because we would not have gotten her if we weren’t spending so much time at home, and she made adjusting to the new way of Covid life much easier. As time has gone on, I find myself reflecting on the positive aspects of my quarantine experience more than the negative ones, and Pennny has been the most positive change in my life during he plague year.
• 
  2020-05-04

  Get This Bread

  With so many people stuck at home, some working from home and some with more time on their hands than they know what to do with, baking has seen a surge in popularity. From simple loaves of bread to fancy layered cakes, a lot of people have tapped in to their inner baker.
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  2020-05-04

  Fish Wish in the time of Covid - Jewish Melbourne

  We decided as a family to create a film that documented our experience of lockdown. The film is a narrative that is loosely based on our family's lived experience in the time of Covid-19. The act of making the film as a family served to connect us creatively. The film also acts as a time capsule.
• 
  2020-05-04

  A CLOSER LOOK: in prison and COVID positive … what happens next?

  This article talks with several people who have loved ones at correctional facilities across Arkansas. One woman explains that her loved on, Derek Coley, age 29, housed in the Cummins Unit, was due to go before the prison board for possible release in June but instead he died from Covid. He told staff he couldn't breath, was taken to the infirmary where they called an ambulance but he died before it arrives. Another incarcerated person sent a letter from an outside hospital to notify his family he was sick with covid, the prison never informed them. A third person said they were tested for Covid, had the virus, and were sent back to their cell, never isolated, and didn't receive any follow up care for days. The article also outlines the state correctional facilities Policy/Procedures for notifying next of kin.
• 
  2020-05-04

  70% of Texas prisoners tested have the coronavirus. Experts say it's time for more testing and fewer inmates.

  Texas appears to have the worst outbreak of any state prisons across the nation and many relatives of incarcerated people believe the count is low. Inmates fear telling staff they don't feel well, infected and healthy people are taking showers together. As of the articles writing 1% of inmates across the state have been tested and 70% are infected with Covid. Many worry what effect this will have on the larger communities outside the correctional facilities.
• 
  2020-05-04

  Virus Hoax

  On my walk I noticed the words, "virus hoax" written across the bike trail and on utility boxes. I wonder if they really think that the virus is a hoax?
• 
  2020-05-04

  the-indigenous-communities-that-predicted-covid-19

  "For hundreds of years, indigenous groups have warned that destroying the environment leads to disease and adversely affects lives and culture. Is the world now ready to listen?"
• 
  2020-05-04

  Cut my hair by myself

  Because the closure of hair style barbershop, I have to cut my hair by myself.
• 
  2020-05-04

  School got shut down and everyone is taking online course

  When the governor announce the campus will be shut down and no one is going to the lectures. Everyone starts taking online courses. This experience makes me feel it is hard to do online course because it is hard to follow the instructions and it is hard to communicate with professors.
• 
  2020-05-04

  Thank You

  I first saw this picture on Instagram. I remember that day, many OC residents drove by the medical Center with posters, and many medical workers waved to the outside. Then I looked it up in the LA Times. Their smiles are so contagious for me that I have to share them.
• 2020-05-04

  First day after California Senate allows beach to be reopened

  I took this picture the first day on Laguna Beach that California reopened some beaches with limitations on May 4, 2020. It was not crowded as I thought but the environment seemed to be less poluted and the scenes are more beautiful, maybe because the decreasing in traffic polution.
• 
  2020-05-04

  "You're messing with my summer" High School Musical Meme

  A meme quoting the movie High School Musical 2
• 
  2020-05-04

  Legendary Guard Adapts to COVID-19

  Clipped from the May 15, 2020, volume 155, 10th issue of the Catholic Advance, this photo shows how the Vatican's Swiss Guards have had to adjust to COVID-19's presence. On top of wearing masks while on duty, the Guard rescheduled their induction ceremony to October; a rite of passage that normally occurs on May 6 and coincides with the anniversary of their famous 1527 last stand to defend Pope Clement VII. While the Swiss Guard fought a mutinous foe hand-to-hand nearly 500 years ago, this unseen enemy can only be combated through masks, crowd control, and strict social distancing.
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  2020-05-04

  A Way Forward

  A single panel comic/ piece of artwork shared across multiple social media platforms pointing out the unsustainable nature of "returning to normal" after the pandemic and the potential opportunity this gives us as a society to make changes towards sustainability. The artist is an environmental advocate and farmer.
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  2020-05-04

  Mississippi Choctaw Tribe Sees Opportunities in Manufacturing in Response to Covid-19

  “For many domestic companies, the coronavirus has exacerbated troubles they were already having manufacturing in China, after the U.S. levied large import tariffs last year on Chinese-made goods. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians sees there might just be an opportunity for its industrial base in light of new developments. ‘While Mexico - the only low-cost border country with a free trade deal with the U.S. - is expected to be the big winner, our status as a sovereign nation located within the U.S. presents a distinct advantage,’ said John Hendrix, director of economic development for the Mississippi-based tribe. Tax rates, labor and logistics play major roles in determining where manufacturing occurs, remarked Hendrix. ‘The Tribe has the total package – favorable tax structure, an abundant trainable workforce, and proximity to market.’”
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  2020-05-04

  Idaho Board of Education allowing schools to reopen if they follow COVID-19 safety protocols

  New Procedures for Idaho Schools.
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  2020-05-04

  Transmission of Wisdom: The Marshall Scholar Class of 2019 Meets the 2020 Class Over Zoom

  The COVID-19 pandemic is unique in the way it disrupted a world more globalized than ever before in history. The Marshall Scholarship is funded by the British government as a living gift to the American people in honor of the Marshall Plan, which helped rebuild Britain after World War II. The scholarship allows young Americans representing a cross-section of academic fields a to study for a graduate degree at a British univeristy. The 2020 Class of Marshall Scholars, the second largest class in the program's history, class will be among the scholarship's most diverse, represent a wide diversity of cultural, academic, institutional and socio-economic backgrounds. Over one-third of this year's class are from minority backgrounds and 61% of this year's class are female scholars. The pandemic has thrown much of the traditional process of the scholarship into re-evaluation, as questions of how the scholars will travel to the UK, whether they will need to quarantine upon arrival, and how their academic programs will be altered still loom large. This scholarship is a life changing opportunity for these individuals, with the pandemic threatening to drastically alter a program that has generated transatlatic leadership in mutlifarious fields whose work has sustained the Special Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom for decades, one of the most important and dynamic international relationships in the world.
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  2020-05-04

  'If the virus gets in, it will spread like wildfire'

  Japan Times article on the spread of coronavirus within asylum seekers' detention centers in Japan.
• 
  2020-05-04

  Schoolyard Closure and Basketball Players Ignoring It

  Attached to the permanent, metal private property sign at the edge of the yard of St. Thomas More Catholic School, is depicted a plasticized sign announcing that “Due to COVID-19 these school grounds are CLOSED except for walk through” by authority of the Ottawa Catholic School Board. In the background, across the grounds, at the basketball hoops attached to the school, three young men can be seen flouting the signs posted at several entrances in order to shoot hoops. Provincial restrictions have been relaxed since this photograph was taken, allowing for sunbathing and distant sports, such as tennis, in public spaces, however, the school grounds are private property and the signs remain. There has been an increase in activity around the basketball hoops since this announcement.
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  2020-05-04

  Canada Sends Nurses to Northern Community Hit by COVID-19

  " — Canada has dispatched nurses to a remote northern indigenous community hit hard by the coronavirus to conduct testing and provide healthcare support, the local leader said on Tuesday." #IndigenousStories
• 
  2020-05-04

  PORA experts suggest training indigenous peoples of the North in entrepreneurship

  “Representatives of the indigenous peoples of the North who are engaged in traditional types of economic activity need educational programs in the field of entrepreneurship…It was held in an online format and was devoted to the problems of the economic activities of the indigenous peoples of the North in their territories of residence and traditional nature management. It is necessary to move away from understanding traditional forms of economic activity as archaic…It is important to understand that areas such as reindeer herding use both modern technology and the export of goods, the expert said. At the meeting, representatives of the Arctic and subarctic regions identified problems and contradictions in the legislation that regulates traditional nature management…People who traditionally live in these territories most often do not have the means to compete with investors from other regions of Russia, who can also participate in the auction. It would be more appropriate to provide land on a competitive basis, supported by Zhanna Holm, deputy head of the Agency for the Development of the Northern Territories and Support of Indigenous Minorities of the Krasnoyarsk Territory…” #IndigenousStories
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  2020-05-04

  Las Vegas Casinos In A Post-COVID-19 World

  A student's paper discussing how the pandemic has changed the operation of casinos and gaming in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• 2020-05-04

  Rallies to Reopen the economy

  State of Nevada *Present
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  2020-05-04

  State of Nevada paper

  A student's paper discussing the issue of water conservation in Nevada.
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  2020-05-04

  Pythian Market Updates Jazz Fest at Home Menu Items, New Orleans, LA

  The Pythian Market offers new menu items for the Jazz Fest in Place event and thanks for support from the community.
• 
  05/04/2020

  Treatment of Essential Workers: Amazon VP Resigns and Makes Statement about Workers

  This project aims to document the treatment and reactions to the treatment of the essential workers during this pandemic. This is the headline of an article describing The resignation of the VP of Amazon and also detailing a statement he made about Amazon firing workers who had protested their poor treatment during the pandemic.
• 2020-05-04

  Ellen's Remote Commencement Speech for Class of 2020 due to cancelled graduations

  May is usually the beginning of graduation season, but because of social distancing, a lot of graduation ceremonies have unfortunately been cancelled. Since both Ellen and graduates across the country are home, she put on her gown and gave a commencement speech to honor the class of 2020.
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  2020-05-04

  Reopening a restaurant with masks and gloves in Sarasota, Florida.

  To reopen the Outback Steakhouse of Sarasota, FL we are required to wear masks and gloves. Only fifteen out of sixty tables are open for customers. We set up an extensive cleaning regime every thirty minutes to ensure the safety of staff and customers. *"Date" as submitted: May 4, 2020 after the governor's lift of the stay-at-home order
• 2020-05-04

  Journal entry 5/4/2020

  taken from journal entry: Today I woke up around 1 pm without an actual schedule to follow it feels like i have no routine.I have been falling asleep around 3 am and waking up very late. Never thought i would say this but i miss going to school and having busy days and crowded commutes. Things i would complain about i now yearn for. I went to Walmart today and looking around at everyone with their masks and gloves, i never thought id ever see anything like this. my trip to the grocery has now become one of the most exciting parts of the day. Going out now is such a hassle we put on masks and gloves and coming back we take everything off immediately and take a shower. All the groceries we brought back my mom will thoroughly wash and throw away original packaging. Later i went for a run in rock creek, there were quite a lot of people there but everyone maintains distance and has their masks on. At night i did a lot of online work i had. without going to class i barely have any motivation to do it. in one of my classes i had a 100% now i have dropped down to a 70%. Good thing we have the pass/fail option at my university, thats the only thing saving me right now. Then i stayed up with my dad binge watching series on netflix until about 2:30 am. i really hope we go back to normal, i miss seeing my friends, my girlfriend, going out to eat or to the movies. My best hope right now is that we go back to classes when the fall semester begins.
• 2020-04-16

  Journal of a Walmart employee

  Journal entries.
• 
  2020-05-04

  Refund

  This took place earlier this week as the Cares Act refunded college students a certain dollar amount based on the amount of class we missed due to Covid-19. This was was especially great for me as money is tight and this will be put to good use to pay off student loans starting in the fall. *Belmont Abbey (my college) Financial Aid
• 
  2020-05-04

  Death toll projections only increasing due to states reopening.

  Recently, Covid-19 cases have been going down. However, with many states starting to reopen, the death toll is expected to greatly increase again. Originally, there were projected to be around 75,000 deaths. Now, with the states opening back up so quickly, there is no way to completely stop the outbreak from continually spreading. The U.S. can't stay shut down forever as it is hurting the economy, but is it too early to open up the doors?
• 
  2020-05-04

  What can the biological mechanisms of COVID-19 tell us about solutions?

  Report on biological mechanisms of COVID-19
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  2020-05-04

  Perspectives

  Different views from social distancing
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  2020-05-04

  "Phase 2: First Day at the Park"

  As Phase II begins in this lovely sunny day of the late Spring season, in the heart of Italy, Rome, people from all around take their first breaths of fresh air after 2 months of strict quarantine in the biggest park of the city: Villa Pamphili. As I find a large space where dancing respectfully of the social distancing normative is possible, or to simply hear the sound of nature, I acknowledge the beauty of our mother earth, taking a moment to breath in, even if through a face mask, the gifts that she offers us and that are often forgotten about. How wonderful it is to return to this small piece of life.
• 2020-05-04

  Quarantine College

  Quarantine College The coronavirus came in with no announcement and changed everyone’s lives as we know it. For me one of the biggest changes was school. I was just about one third through my second semester in college when news of the corona virus began to spread. At first it was said to be only in China, but more and more cases were being seen around the world. Then the first case in Arizona came, and where else would it be but my very own school, Arizona State University. Still there was no panic or change. We continued with school as usual. We then entered our long-awaited spring break. This is where everything changed. We never came back to school from spring break, or we never went back to on campus classes. Every class was moved to online. For many this was a horrible turn of events as in class learning helps many, myself included. As for me it was not bad, at first many of my professors even insisted it was only a temporary change. I still visited campus to see my friends or study, but everything quickly changed. I lived at home, but I saw as all my friends were basically kicked off of campus. I have not seen many of them since. Then came the subject of online school. I thought I would be fine but studying from home was just not the same. On one hand I could study on my own time, but on the other I had limited access to all the universities helpful buildings. I no longer had access to libraries or study areas. Studying at home also means I am with my family 24/7. While I Love my family going to school could be a break from them, but most importantly they can be a big distraction when trying to work. Another problem I have is finding motivation to do my work. I do not not why but it feels as school is optional now even though it is not. I must find a dedicated time to do my work, but I get distracted and or have no motivation. The coronavirus has changed the way everyone lives their lives in 2020. Some positive changes and many negative changes have come. I think I have finally developed a better way to study. Although it was hard to overcome all the challenges that the corona virus brought I will never forget my freshman year of college.
• 2020-05-04

  The Effects of COVID-19 on the Fighting Game Community

  Fighting games are an odd case when considering video games as a whole. Most of the gaming community has matured alongside the internet and as such resides within it, bringing together people from all across the globe and creating friendships that would never be possible otherwise. This pandemic is the perfect time for these games to help bring people together, allowing people to escape from the chaos of the world and find companionship online in anything from a team based shooter that allows one to spend time with their friends like Valorant to an entire social platform with digital bars, movie theaters, and conventions like VRChat. Fighting games, however, were born in an era of arcades, and their very nature brought people together, first as competitors and then as friends. In-person competition and open tournaments that give anyone a chance to win are a vital part of what the fighting game community, or FGC, is. Three years ago was my first real introduction to the FGC in the form of my high school’s gaming club. There we played a variety of games, the main one being Super Smash Bros. Two years ago I was running the club, organizing tournaments and large events, and occasionally going to local tournaments with cash prizes. This past year, I began attending Arizona State University and was going to the college’s large biweekly tournament as often as I could. The reason for me going to and organizing these sorts of events is not because I can win them; I am by no means great at fighting games. What matters most to me is the community they offer. I have made friends through these games, and while I do simply enjoy playing them, meeting new people through them is equally as important to me. Three months ago, soon before the pandemic became widespread and the world locked down, I began becoming more involved than ever in the FGC. I went to multiple state-wide tournaments and started becoming good friends with the other people that attended. However, life got busy and right before the pandemic I stopped going, figuring there was no reason to worry about it since I could always just go another time. COVID-19 has now removed that option, so I ended up missing out on one of the last chances I had to spend time with these friends before I was cut off from them. Now people are forced to play these games online, which not only means that a huge amount of the community aspect is lacking, but also that players are forced to deal with online systems that were designed as a secondary option to local play. The largest fighting game tournament in the world, the Super Bowl of the FGC, is being forced to move online, and not one of the games it planned on running has a good online system. I worry the effect this will have on the scene, as it will not only be a terrible experience for those participating, but will show off these games at their worst and may very well harm the reputation of the FGC. The poor state of these games’ online systems and lack of community has also made many lose their passion for the games they care so much about. Personally, my excitement about getting into the community more has been massively stunted, and I have been spending far less time practicing the games than I would like despite an abundance of time. While the pandemic has been harmful to the community as a whole, if that was the only issue then everything could likely bounce back to normal after the virus has been stopped. However, the largest dangers to the FGC are financial ones. These events already run with very slim profit margins, and so this pandemic has harmed the tournament organizers that had scheduled an event during the crisis the most. Venue and hotel expenses had already been paid, and so organizers were forced to either try to run events that they knew would potentially infect people or take huge financial hits. In the words of Alexander Jebaily, “If I cancel by my own choice, instant bankruptcy.” In my own area, the company that does the most to host events and support others, SAK Gaming, was forced to abandon the venue they had been using for years, a place that was dear to the hearts of much of the community, with some seeing it as their second home. I had never gotten around to going to a tournament there, and now I’ll never be able to have that experience in a place that was so special to many. I don’t know what’s next for the FGC. While some events will certainly be able to spring back, others are most likely canceled forever. I can certainly hope that everything will return to normal, but just as with every other aspect of society, some things will likely be changed forever.
• 2020-05-04

  Being an essential worker

  Being an essential worker Covid-19 otherwise known as the Corona Virus, has affected almost every single life in America. I remember when the virus first started nothing really changed for me or my job at the fast food restaurant, chipotle. Then slowly but surely things began to change in my job. At first less and less people were coming in to receive food, and I was given less hours. Then we closed our dine in option as did the entire state of Arizona. Our Governor Doug Ducey then released a stay at home order, but I as a fast food employee was still considered “essential”. What this meant was that I was still allowed to work, but at what cost. For many being allowed to work can be seen as a blessing or a curse. I was still allowed to work despite all the chaos happening in the world. Everyday more people were losing their jobs or just not working, but I, being an “essential” worker was still working. Things continued to change at my job as we were given questions on Covid-19 and are now asked every workday a series of questions to take precautions against Covid-19. We also now wear masks to cover our faces. Working at chipotle or any fast food restaurant is not the same. Covid-19 has changed the way we operate for a safer environment. This can all be seen as a positive turn of events for fast food workers and other essential workers. For we are being allowed to work. Also many companies are being more precautious in the way they handle things. At the end of this global pandemic perhaps all these changes will have been in a positive light. Overall, in my point of view I see this as a disadvantage. On one hand I am very grateful that I am able to work while others cannot, but I see the disadvantages outweigh the good. For example, the hours I received were already cut and I get paid minimum wage. One of my coworkers even jokingly stated he could make more money quitting and filing for unemployment. We are going to work while this pandemic is happening and are at a higher risk of contracting the virus than others. In the end, I do not believe fast food employees should be essential. This is because the pay simply does not account for the risk these workers are taking to serve food. That is why I am profoundly grateful for the real essential workers like doctors and nurses.
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  2020-05-04

  COVID-19 from a 19 Year Olds Perspective

  Account of the Covid-19 pandemic from a 19 year old college freshman
• 2020-05-04

  The Burdens of Online Classes

  Hi everyone, As I write this I feel as if this is like a time capsule that future generations will see or read and learn about our experience. For me, it goes like this, my name is Vianney Ruiz and I am a student Tempe's Arizona State University, I am currently studying Mechanical Engineering as well as French. Why French you ask? I seem to have a passion for languages, but I can't just study French so I decided to combine it with Engineering. Now I am back in Texas, I had to give up my new job as an ambassador for Microsoft and online classes do not live up to the standards that universities say they do. On the other hand, it is me who has the problem, why can't I seem to live up to my own standards when I appear to have more time on my hands? Did I have a class in ten minutes? It is one hour past the time. How could I have forgotten? I reminded myself ten minutes before class. I tell myself there is nothing to be done, I simply send an apology email to my professor. I go on with my day, when suddenly I panic did I have a quiz today? I hurry to Canvas. Phew, I am good, no problem. On other days it's, oh no I missed th quiz. I read the announcement, told myself I had a quiz, why did I forget? Once again sends email apologizing to the professor and even decide to ask for a retake. The professor replies back granting me the permission to retake it. Oh, thank God, I feel such relief. Now, what about my C++ class? I was having so many problems with the professor's teaching style before, how will I do it now? I decide to contact my fellow classmates and see if we can work together on assignments. They say yes, I feel relieved. How will I do my final project? This is something I have to do alone. I ask my dad if any of his co-workers if they have any experience with coding. He says he will ask. The next day he forgets, what will I do? Should someone do it for me? No, that's not like me, I will do my best and assume responsibility. Finally, my dad remembers to ask, someone, contacts me, do I know arrays, vectors, structures? I do not know how to answer. I answer honestly, I laugh at myself and say, my current professor, is a student himself, he has a long way in his teaching career, he went over them, but I found it hard to understand him.
• 2020-05-04

  The reality of parenting during corona virus isolation

  Humourous piece by Lawrence Leung
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  2020-05-04

  All of Zoom’s a Stage

  Shakespeare’s quote, “All the World’s a Stage,” has taken on a new meaning in my life and the lives of other theater artists during this pandemic. Due to the social distancing orders, theater as we know it has come to a halt, causing us creatives to become even more creative with adapting how theater is presented during this time. The very core of the theater is performing on stage, which is impossible to do during this time. What do we do when the shows we are working on get cancelled? How do we continue working on our craft when we cannot be together? How do we continue our professional goals when the very thing that makes up our profession cannot happen? So many more questions just like these have arisen in the theatrical community during this time of extreme uncertainty. We cannot perform on an actual stage, so we have to be creative and make the world our stage. Personally, in order to stay sane, I have been trying to keep myself immersed in theater as much as I can within all these restrictions. This keeps me busy and prevents boredom. Ultimately, it distracts me from the depressing thoughts, such as the feeling of being alone, or the fact that the show I was cast in this semester got cancelled. The more I do theater in any way I can, especially when that theater involves other people, the more these thoughts go away. I started by creating a flexible routine for myself. A routine keeps me busy, but keeping it flexible reduces my everyday stress, even just a little bit. I try to start each day by taking a walk and listening to music or a podcast on spotify. A lot of the time, I end up listening to my favorite Broadway show tunes and practice acting through the song as 1 I walk. Honestly, this gets some weird looks from neighbors, but once I stopped caring about what they think, this turned into one of the most freeing parts of my day! After walking and completing my online homework for the day, I usually practice singing. I’ve been trying to focus on songs that I have fun with, rather than specifically picking out audition pieces, which has surprisingly led to me finding some great audition songs in a no-stress way! After singing, I move onto play readings. I have a goal to read a play every other day, which has been great because I’ve found so many new audition monologues without even looking for them! Whenever I can, I try to read these plays with my friends over Zoom. We each pick a character, and then read the plays aloud together. It’s a great way to keep a sense of community with people who are a thousand miles away from me. One of my favorite experiences during this time has been the Zoom reading with my fellow cast members of the play I was in that got cancelled. I was still disappointed that we won’t be able to perform it in person, but it was so nice to be able to perform it, even though it was over Zoom. It was especially wonderful to get to see friendly faces again, and I absolutely loved the sense of community I felt when working with these talented people. I highly recommend getting a group together and performing over Zoom. The act of creating theater in times like this is so comforting and satisfying, and can provide you with a sense of hope. Times like these can be very discouraging, but I hope that my story shows other theater artists that you can still be creative during a time that seems to stall creativity. Take a deep breath, and go forth and create!
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  2020-05-04

  My day inside

  I find time is hard to past by these days. My sleep schedule has changed drastically ever since we were given stay at home orders. I usually start my day at around 10 am and then end it by 3 am. The time in between is quite monotonous and I am really looking forward to the orders being lifted. So my day starts and I grab something to eat. I then login to my live lectures which are all day. I listen, or at least try to, take notes, and then do some homework. Often now I have to re watch lectures to understand the material since when I watch it live I am not really paying attention. I then study and get ready for the day. I try my best to remain in contact with my friends but it is not the same anymore. The only interaction I usually have is getting help on an assignment or us figuring out how to complete a task that we have been assigned. Once my classes are done I usually eat again and then try and exercise. Normally when I am on campus I am able to get a lot of walking done, but now since we are inside, I need to be active. So after I decide to exercise , I unwind a bit and then have dinner. Everyday I have to make something since I do not want to get food from outside. Cooking has been the one part that is different, since I try to make something new every day. I then eat and study some more. I find myself productive for whatever reason that may be. Usually I have to really try and focus to get work done because it is really distracting being at home. Something about being at home just does not make me feel like working. Nevertheless, I am able to study and continue to catch up on the material. This routine is quite monotonous at this point. It has been roughly 8 weeks like this and it is starting to get tiring. I know change to the stay at home orders is coming, and I can not wait for it. I am thankful that my semester ends soon so that way there will be some change to my routine. 8 weeks of the same thing every day is quite a drag on life and I look forward to the changes. I really hope the Fall wont have a second wave leading to life like this again!